Always
by House-M.D.-Lover
Summary: When Bella gets sick while Charlie is away the Cullens take care of her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first Twilight fic, but there will be many more to come. Please let me know what you think. Thanks! :) Two seconds to review and you'll make my week!**

I rolled over in bed. I was in that phase between being completely awake and still being asleep. I sat up and looked at the clock through blurred eyes. The red numbers beamed back and I saw that is was already past eleven. Slowly I threw the covers back and set my feet on the cold floor. I sat there silently for awhile until a voice spoke.

"Took you long enough" I heard the joking voice of Edward behind me. A year ago I would have jumped; now, I expected it.

"Must be tired from last night" I yawned and rubbed my face. As he sat next to me he wrapped his cold arm around my body. It felt right, nothing in my life had felt as right as this did. Nothing felt as good as Edward did.

"You dreamed about me" I rolled my eyes.

"I always dream about you" I realized how hoarse my voice sounded. There was a small tickle in the back of my throat; I prayed that I wasn't getting sick. With my luck, I would be. I yawned and rested my head on his shoulder.

"Where's Charlie?" I asked finally getting the strength to stand up.

"Work, he left you a note on the fridge. Something about a series of murders – it's another young vampire" a shiver ran up my spine. I didn't like thinking about the innocent people who had to die. And I didn't like the idea of Charlie being around anything having to do with vampires, it was too dangerous. I'm sure if he knew he wouldn't approve of me dating one either.

"Wonderful" I said as I walked to the door. "We have the entire house to ourselves. Want to watch a movie?" Before I could stop him Edward had pick me up and raced me down the stairs.

"Movie sounds great." he said as he gently set me down on the sofa. I got up and meandered over to the DVD player and put in one of my favorite movies. As I sat back down and curled up into Edward's arms I noticed a worried look on his face.

"You aren't going wolf on me are you?" he asked as he studied my face.

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I leaned into his cold body.

"You just seem hotter than usual. I could be wrong." He shrugged and stroked my hair "You always seem warm to me" he added as his eyes turned toward the film again.

* * *

The next thing I remember is waking up in my bed. At first I was confused and then I realized that I must have fallen asleep during the movie and Edwards had carried me back to bed. Something wasn't right though. I could feel it in the air. I might not have a sixth sense like Edward, Alice or Emmett, but I could tell something was wrong.

"Bella?" I recognized Emmett's soft voice. "Bella, are you awake?" I didn't want to answer him, it took too much strength and for some reason I felt incredibly weak. I just moaned.

"Edward." Emmett called and before I knew it there was another being in the room.

"Is she awake yet?" Edward's voice was calm and in control. I loved to hear him speak. It was like watching waves lap against a shore.

"Yep. Just woke up."

"Thanks." I could hear Emmett leave the room and I could feel Edward place a cold hand on my forehead. It felt nice and I leaned into his touch.

"Bella, you're so hot" his voice no longer sounded calm. It was worried and rigid. I hated when people worried about me, I would do everything in my power to make him think I was fine.

"Really Edward, there is nothing wrong with me" I jumped out of bed to prove my point. At that moment the room began to spin and I could feel my reaching closer and closer to the floor.

**A/N: Let me know what you think. I hope you liked it! I will add the next chapter tomorrow or Monday. I promise to update on a regular basis. :)**


	2. Edward

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and to all those who "favorite" or "alert" the story. : ) Enjoy!**

When my eyes fluttered open I was staring into the entrancing copper gaze of Edward Cullen. Relief stretched across his face as he saw that I was awake.

"What happened?" I asked while smiling. It was nearly impossible for me to look at Edward and to not have a giant grin plastered on my face.

"You're sick Bella. After you said that you were fine you passed out." Suddenly I was lying down on the couch that was in Edward's room. "Carlisle luckily was off today. I don't know what we would have done without his help." Without any warning his voice became very serious "You had me really worried Bella. More than you could imagine"

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I hate being such a burden for your family, I don't want to get any of you sick either…maybe I should just go home."

"None of us are going to get sick." he chuckled, "We don't get sick, at least not with your human diseases" he placed the back of his cold hand against my burning skin.

"You have no idea how good that feels. What do I have anyways?" I nuzzled closer to him hoping that it would help me from not bursting into flames.

"Carlisle thinks it's just the flu or a cold but he doesn't like the thought of you being alone. He's seen these things turn bad quickly" It was clear what we both started thinking. Edward almost died once from the flu, it's the reason he was changed. After a brief moment of silence Edward continued talking, "We thought that since Charlie isn't going to be home this week, it would be a good idea for you to sleep at our house" I always forget how gorgeous he is. I feel my heart race faster and I know Edward can hear it too because he smiles.

"Yeah. I would like that a lot." He strokes my hair and I wonder how I got so lucky to end up with him. There is a knock at the door and I see Carlisle smiling in on us.

"Hello Bella, nice to see you awake. How are you feeling?" I struggle to find words to describe exactly how I feel. I'm excited to be with Edward, I'm glad I was invited to stay; I really wish I wasn't sick.

"Fine" I decide to answer. He clearly doesn't believe my answer because he asks if he can take my temperature. After a few seconds the stick beeps and Carlisle takes it out of my mouth. _Hmm_, he groans making the typical doctor noise.

"You're fever is getting worse. It's gone up two degrees in the last hour, that usually isn't a good sign" I felt my muscle tensing, Edward clearly could as well because he began to rub my back in a soothing pattern. "How about you get some rest and we'll see how you feel in a few hours" he smiled and left. Edward kissed my lips. Only at this moment did I see the darkness that was creeping into them.

"You're hungry." I whispered "You need to hunt." He nodded his head knowing I was right but it was clear that he was resistant to leave.

"I know. I've already talked to everyone. They're going to take turns looking after you. Your favorite sister is up first." As he finished his sentence a very loud and floury Alice bounced into the room.

"Hi Bella!" she called "Are you ready for the fun to begin?"

**A/N: A little short, but I will update soon. Probably tomorrow. : ) Please review. Every chapter is going to have a different character taking care of Bella. First is Alice. : )**


	3. Alice

**A/N: Here it is! : ) Thanks again to all of you who read this! As a time line note this happens after New Moon.**

After Edward left I began to feel that empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was similar to the one that lasted for four months the first time Edward had left me. The only difference was this time I knew he was coming back. When Edward had gone away last fall I was sure that I would never get to see him again. I remember those months as if they were yesterday. He told me to forget him and his family but I was plagued with his absence everywhere I went. I was silent remembering this when suddenly Alice's sweet voice broke my thoughts.

"How do you feel?" She smiled and walked over to sit next to me.

"Fine." I smiled; however, I could feel my throat becoming progressively sore. Trying to distract her from noticing my pain I added, "You know, I'm surprised that you didn't come dressed in one of Carlisle's white coats and scrubs." She giggled.

"Well…I was going to. Then I saw what would happen if I had done that…so I decided to just wear my new dress. Do you like it?" she asked as she hoped for approval.

"It's gorgeous." I said starring and the burgundy cotton dress. A single yellow jewel hung around her neck. "It's really not fair how gorgeous you are." I complained jokingly. She laughed.

"Just to warn you Bella I might not be dressed up but that doesn't mean that nobody is going to be dressed up." I cringed and she laughed again.

"Thanks for the warning."

"Oh Bella!" she squealed, "I almost forgot that I bought you a little gift from the store." She handed me a large cardboard box. Before I began to open it Alice snatched it up. "On second thought, maybe I should open it for you." Her hand swiftly moved around the package and before I could blink she was holding up a beautiful pair of pajamas.

"Alice! Thanks so much. You had no idea how much I needed these." I was wearing my only pair of pajamas already and I was sure that after a few days they might start to smell. Unfortunately they also just so happened to be the only clothes I had with me. All morning I had been plotting ways to wash them but now I didn't have to worry anymore.

"I knew you would love them!" she squeaked and embraced me in a hug. "I can tell you're tired, you should try and get some sleep." I was getting tired and I hoped the extra sleep would help cure my headache and sore throat.

* * *

When I woke up several hours later I could see Alice sitting in a chair while flipping through a magazine. Before I could say anything she was already back to sitting on the floor next to me.

"Do you feel better Bella?" Her soft, cold hand rested on my forehead. It felt nice and I could tell that she enjoyed helping me.

"Yes." I lied while trying to avert her gaze. She gasped. Alice had the same blank expression on her face that she always got while having a vision. Suddenly her face broke and she looked directly at me.

"Don't lie Bella." For the first time in a long time her voice was stern. "I saw you in a hospital bed." Oh no, there was no way I was going to a hospital for some stupid cold.

"Alice, I'm sure this won't get too serious. People get colds all the time."

"What if it's more than that Bella? Edward was crying. You looked awful."

"With my coordination skills – or lack thereof – I'm going to wind up in a hospital sooner or later." I tried to make a joke out of the situation but I could tell that she wasn't buying it.

"Bella you are not well. I'm going to get Carlisle before he goes into work today. Stay where you are. I'll be right back." Alice quickly returned with Dr. Cullen right beside her.

**A/N: Read and Review please! : ) I also just posted another story called "My Son" it's from Carlisle's point of view. Please read and review that one as well. : )**


	4. Carlisle Part One

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait and sorry this is a little shorter than I would have liked. I had crazy computer problems. But here is the fourth chapter. Please read, review and check out my other Twilight story if you get a chance.**

"Good morning Bella." Carlisle greeted as he stood in the door frame, toying with a thermometer in his freezing clutch. "I hear you aren't feeling well." He smiled at me and I realized how much I really liked Carlisle. He was true and honest, always trying to help someone.

"No," I coughed "I really am not"

"I'm going to take your temperature if that's okay with you." He smiled and before I could say anything he was standing next to me.

"That's fine." I was afraid of what the devise might say but I also hated arguing with Carlisle; he always let you win. It wasn't bad that he let you win but it always made me feel bad. Like when you get mad at a puppy for chewing on your new shoes, once you yell, you feel guilty.

I felt the metal tip slip into my mouth and lay gently underneath my tongue. Alice was now standing at a bookshelf and had picked up a magazine. She aimlessly flipped from the cover to the back several times. Vampires hated stillness and I was sure that waiting for the thermometer to beep was painful for Alice. _Beep_. Finally. As Carlisle took it out of my mouth Alice moved swiftly next to him to gaze at the numbers too.

"Edward's would freak if he saw this." Alice said. Her voice was calm and I knew it couldn't be too bad if she didn't seem worried. With that being the case I was utterly confused as to why Edward would freak if he found out what my temperature was.

"It's not that bad, Bella." Carlisle said as he lovingly patted my leg. That small gesture caused hot tears to form in my eyes – my vision blurred and I was blinded momentarily. I thought about a girl from my school in Arizona. Her parents had left her and her foster family didn't love her. And here I was blessed with two sets of loving parents. It didn't matter that Charlie and my mother were divorced, they both still loved me.

"Then why would Edward freak?" I asked genuinely confused as to everything that was going on around me.

"You know how Edward died, right?" Carlisle asked while his gorgeous eyes beamed at me. I wondered how any human could resist the attraction of vampires. There was no denying they were the most beautiful beings on Earth. I nodded to answer his question.

"You are the exact same temperature as Edward when he was admitted Carlisle's hospital." Alice said smirking. I didn't see the humor in the situation but Alice seemed to think it was hilarious. "Oh, Bella, I should tell you I'm not laughing at you, I just think it's adorable. It's another sign that you two are meant for each other." Well I did like that idea. He and I were two of the most compatible people. We enjoyed the same things and loved spending together. Although there was a species difference we still had many things in common.

"There really isn't much I can do to help right now." Carlisle said as he went to the closet and returned carrying a plethora of blankets. "It's just the plain flu – nothing more. It just started and it's going to get a lot worse. That's about all I can tell you now."

"Great." I said fully sarcastic.

"Unless you have a strong immune system?" He asked hopefully. I laughed a little thinking back to the countless time I was sick as a child. Maybe my clumsiness came with the uncanny ability to get sick at least once a month. "I didn't think so" he sighed.

"We can make you comfortable though." Alice chirped.

"Just let us know what you need and any of us would be happy to get it for you." Carlisle added to Alice's comment. "I can give you some medication. Here, take these." He handed me two orange pills which I swallowed down with water. Within a few minutes I could feel myself slipping into a medically induced sleep.

**A/N: Longer next time. My internet is finally fixed as of today for I'll be posting quicker now. :)**


	5. Carlisle Part Two

**A/N: You guys all make me so happy with your gorgeous reviews. : ) Oh, and I don't own this.**

When I woke up I immediately smiled. Within a matter of seconds I could tell that I was not alone in the bed. Familiar arms were wrapped around me and my body was cocooned in a large duvet. Without warning an ice cold pair of lips came down and graced my forehead.

"I missed you." I said looking into Edward's topaz eyes as they gleamed at me, "How was hunting?" I added giving him a question to answer.

"It was fine, I kept worrying about you so I was forced to come back early" he chuckled and I wondered who had made him come back. Probably Jasper, trying to keep Edward unstressed must have taken a toll on him.

"I love you." I said as a gently nuzzled myself further into his embrace. The first time Edward held me when I slept I kept thinking about that Ice Hotel. People paid 372 dollars to sleep in a hotel completely made of ice, I always wonder if it felt like this to them, surely it wasn't as pleasurable.

"You're too warm again." He said frowning and placing the back side of his hand against my heated forehead. The cool touch felt nice and my instincts told me to lean into the comforting feeling.

"Maybe you're right; I should stay away from those wolves." I tried making a joke but Edward made it clear with his expression that it wasn't the time for that.

"I'm getting Carlisle." He said with a very straight face. There were only two times I remember him looking this stern. The first time was when I confronted him about the truck incident. I couldn't understand how one second he was four cars away and then in a flash he was hovering over me and shielding me from death. At the hospital when I asked him he kept claiming that he was standing right next to me when everything happened, the entire time he told the story he had this expression on his face. The most recent time was when we were standing in the woods and he told me he was leaving. As the words came out of his mouth, as he told me he didn't want me in his life, this was the expression that warped his face.

To see him looking like that now sent a jolt of panic through me veins. I hated that face and nothing good came of it. It was his serious face – something was wrong.

"It can't really be _that_ bad Edward." I smiled trying to make him relax some, but it didn't help. He looked as miserable as I felt.

Before I knew it Carlisle was walking into the bedroom that I had been living in for the last couple of days. The smile on his face was forced. It was a brave face, the kind someone put on when taking on a challenge they knew they'd never win.

"Hello Bella." He said as he too reached down to place a hand over my forehead. His smile threatened to break as he touched my hot, dry skin.

"Is it that bad Carlisle?" I asked hoping for the best. My voice was foreign to me; it was cracking and sounded too hoarse to be normal. As I spoke I felt a throbbing sore ache in my throat.

"I'm afraid so. Your condition isn't getting any better, for anything it's getting worse. Your fever is now resting at 103.4 degrees. We're going to have to take you to the hospital where I am better equipped to take care of you. We can call Charlie and tell him we're going to be there."

"Charlie?" I asked wondering why it was important that he find out where I was. I figured he would be unreachable during his fishing trip.

"Bella, it's Monday, Charlie got home last night. We had to tell him what happened. Carlisle convinced him that the best place for her to be was here. Not only is it free medical care but he is also guaranteed that you receive the _best_ medical care." Edward rested a few of his fingers on my leg and I smiled at his sweet touch.

"It's bad how much I love you." I said looking into his brilliantly colored eyes. They were proof Edward had a soul. If eyes were the gateways into one's soul it became clear to me that there was no way that he didn't have one. Despite what he might say it was clear to me that he did have one.

"I love you too." He said and for the first time that evening he let a big grin spread across his entire face.

"Alright, let's get going you two." Carlisle said as he too smiled at our young and "naïve" love (as Rosalie likes to call it).

"I'll carry you to the car." Edward said and within second I was flung over his shoulders and Edward was running me down a flight of stairs. Shortly after that I was sitting down in a shiny silver Volvo. Suddenly I began to feel light headed like I had early that day – or was it the day before?

"Edward, I feel awful." I complained and tried resting my head down on his shoulders.

"Try to rest." He said while stroking my deep brown hair and placing long strands of it behind my adjacent right ear. "You're going to need all the strength you can get to fight this nasty thing out of your system." His voice calmed me but it didn't stop me from being nauseated.

"Stop the car!" I yelled, "I'm about to be sick." I had just enough time to undo my seatbelt and stammer off to the side of the road. Here my entire stomach contents emptied themselves.


	6. Edward Part Two

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I just finished doing a show. It won't happen again. : ) as always please review and check out my other stories.**

A freezing hand began rubbing small circles around my back. At first it felt nice against my feverish body; however, it quickly became uncomfortably cold and unbearable. I involuntarily shivered and the hand instantly pulled away.

"Sorry." Edward mumbled as he held his hands together. It was if he was trying to restrain himself from touching me.

"It's fine." I said and gave him a half smile, I couldn't quiet summon the strength to let out a full on grin. When I realized I was done getting sick I slowly let me body crumple into a sitting position against a nearby tree. "This sucks." I said breathing heavily.

"I bet. It's hard for me to remember the last time I was sick as a human – but I can still recall how bad I would feel sometimes. I haven't gotten sick in almost three years now, which I…"

"Sick?" I interrupted him. "You can't get sick."

"Yes my Bella, vampires do get sick. Not with your human diseases but it can happen to us. There are two main illnesses that travel amongst the vampires and then there is the obvious blood poisoning. That's what I had last time."

"I don't believe it."

"I guess there's a lot more you need to learn about us." Edward sat down next to me and began to place his hand on my knee. He didn't notice that I saw him swiftly move it away.

"Tell me. Maybe it'll make me feel better."

"Carlisle's going to wonder what happened to us. He'll get worried about you if we don't show up to the hospital soon." Edward began to stand up.

"What about once I'm there? Will you tell me then?" He wrapped his arms around me and carried me back to his car.

"Anything for you." He smiled down at me as he tucked me gently into his car.

Once at the hospital it was clear that Carlisle was feeling better about the way I was looking. My fever had gone down a degree and that seemed to make everyone a little more at ease. Still, he refused to let me leave; I was confined to a hospital room for at least the next forty-eight hours.

"Don't think I've forgotten" I joked with Edward, "You still owe me a story."

"Of course." He said and dragged a chair next to my bed.

"Start at the beginning of it. If I'm going to become like you I need to know what to expect." He didn't respond to my comment at all, he just began his story.

"Emmett and I decided we wanted to feast so we went on a weeklong vacation to Africa where all the big game is. Lions, cheetahs, elephants. You name it – they've got it. The best part is that it's a challenge. Those animals are beasts, it's fun to fight them. Anyway, it was our third night there and we were having an amazing time. We even sent for Jasper to come join us; we thought it would be good for him to let the wild take over on some of the larger game. So it's the day Jasper arrives and we decide to hit up the watering hole where we had seen a pride of lions. Well I caught one but Jasper and Emmett could smell a rhino and went after him instead. So, all is well and fine for a few hours. It's a weird sensation when you get sick as a vampire. We can't even explain how it happens, all your organs are dead but your body can still contract certain illnesses. When you drink bad blood you can kind of tell. It tastes sour and unusual, but for some reason you ignore it or just tell yourself that the animal was probably old. Is this boring you?" Edward asked as he looked into my eyes.

"Not at all." In all honesty I was completely interested; everything he was saying was intriguing, but I didn't want to tell him that, I was afraid it would make me sound too weird. Not that being in a hospital with a vampire boyfriend and his vampire dad as your doctor wasn't already strange enough.

"Maybe you should sleep. I'll tell you the rest of the story after you take a nap." There was no arguing, it was a pointless battle. I just casually let my body drift into a soft slumber. A topaz eyed boy greeted me in my dream and I felt safe knowing Edward was with me no matter where I went.


	7. Edward Part Three

**A/N: Love the reviews. Keep them coming! : )**

When I woke up I couldn't imagine how much better I felt. My pounding head ache was quickly fading and the ache in my stomach had left completely. I sat up in bed and looked around the room. Sitting in a chair, right where I had left him was Edward Cullen. His head was resting in his hands; his eyes glowed and gazed right at me.

"Hi," He smiled as he noticed that she was waking up, "How are you feeling?"

"Much better." I said while I yawned and stretched my arms into the air.

"Good." He got up and came to sit next to me. My heart began pounding as his soft lips came down and made contact with mine. As much as I was enjoying this I still had one question on my mind.

"How does the story end?" I asked pulling away from his mouth.

"What?" he asked.

"The story about you getting sick." I told him.

"Oh, that." He giggled, "I didn't know if you would remember to ask about the rest of the story. Alright, let's see. What was I saying?"

"How you know it's bad blood but you drink it anyways." I stated without having to think about it at all.

"Right. You've been paying attention." He laughed and ran a finger through my hair and smiled his crooked grin at me.

"If I'm going to be like you I need to know these things." Edward ignored my comment and started to tell me the rest of what had happened.

"So we were sleeping in the house we have…"

"You have a house in Africa?" I asked interrupting him.

"Of course. Like I said, it is the best place to go hunting. We have a couple of "summer" homes. Anyway, we were at our house and I just remember I was trying to convince myself I wasn't sick, that I couldn't be sick. So there I was in Africa trying to hide the fact that I could barely move. I was playing a game of cards with Emmett when he looked up at me and said that I didn't look good. I told him I was fine but when we finished playing I tried to stand up but immediately fell to the floor.

"You have to understand that we aren't used to being so weak. When you are able to bend metal the same way a human can cut paper you become used to feeling impeccable. So, Emmett starts freaking out and goes berserk. I try to stand up but I can't even manage to get into a sitting position. I just lay struggling on the ground. Jasper heard us so he came in from the other room. You can imagine he was just as freaked out as Emmett. Luckily his background gives him knowledge on how to control himself in high-strung situations. So he told Emmett that they needed to call Carlisle.

"Fortunately he was already on his way over with Alice because they heard about all the animals we were finding and they wanted to hunt too. So, they get there and find me still on the floor. Oh, and you know how we don't sleep?" I nodded. "Well when we're sick we do. It's almost like our bodies are alive once again. Does that make sense?" I nodded again.

"Good. So, they get there and Carlisle talks to me about what is going on and what'll happen to me in the next couple of day. You know what to look out for, how I should be treated, and things like that. What he wasn't expecting was for me to be sick for so long.

"For normal vampires it takes about two days to bounce back from blood poisoning. It takes us longer. Carlisle has a few theories about why. For me he thinks the fact that when I turned I was sick makes me more susceptible. He thinks that as a family we also heal slower because we don't have human antibodies in our system at all. When a vampire drinks a human's blood the gain some of their nutrients and antibodies, we don't get that from drinking the blood of animals."

"That makes sense." I nod, but the movement makes me feel lightheaded and I begin to worry if the sickness isn't gone. As soon as I have this thought a pain in my body starts pounding and I feel my body sinking further and further into the bed. All I can hear is Edward's calming voice still talking.

"I agree. So it was the fourth day and I – Bella? Bella? Carlisle! Get in here quickly something's wrong with Bella!"

A/N: So there is Edward telling his story and when he looks up he finds that Bella is knocked out. The next chapter coming soon.


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